


Mine

by MaliceManaged



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aftercare, Avenger Loki, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Canon-Typical Violence, Childbirth, Don't Judge Me, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Frigga is awesome, Gen, I Tried, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jötunn Loki, Kidnapping, Loki Feels, Marking, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Nesting, Never Skip The Aftercare Dammit, Odin's A+ Parenting, Pregnancy, Reconciliation of Sorts, Rescue, Revelations, Rough Sex, Roughness, Self-Acceptance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-30
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 03:12:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5851813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaliceManaged/pseuds/MaliceManaged
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of an argument Loki is forced to reveal to his girlfriend the one thing he never wanted to show her, though her reaction is not at all what he expected...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

    Seraphina was no stranger to irony. As a demon with an angelic name; how could she be? So as her black-scleraed, fiery-irised eyes took in the sight before her and she felt the reaction it evoked in her, she knew the situation for what it was.

 

***

 

    She had been living in Avengers Tower for five years when Thor showed up with Loki in tow. After some confusion, the rest of the team begrudgingly listened to Thor’s explanation that his brother was there because he wanted to atone for his crimes against them. They, of course, didn’t trust him in the slightest, but they trusted Thor and so they let Loki stay; although those that didn’t outright ignore him spent a lot of the time trying to push his buttons. As for Seraphina; she took a near instant liking for the wayward prince. She could understand where he was coming from, as she had also done some highly questionable things in her life before she met the Avengers.

 

    And Loki gradually came to genuinely enjoy the company of the pale, voluptuous silver-haired woman; at first because she was the only one besides Thor who actually _wanted_ to be around him, but that changed the more he got to know her. In a few months there wasn’t much one didn’t know about the other and their trust was near absolute; a bond forged through battle and companionship. It wasn’t long after that that their friendship turned to romantic affection, and then love. But there was one thing Loki hadn’t shared with her, mostly out of fear.

 

    Until now.

 

    It began harmlessly enough; Odin had come to the tower to assess Loki’s progress for himself, expecting to find his son miserable and wishing to return to Asgard, and instead finding him seated at the bar in the lounge laughing at something with the fingers of one hand curled around those of a woman. His demeanour changed dramatically the moment his emerald eyes noticed the Allfather’s form and silence fell upon the room. Odin went about questioning how things were going, and the unanimous consensus was that, personal feeling about him aside, Loki had in fact been behaving himself as much as could be expected from the God of Mischief and was very helpful on the field.

 

    Then Odin calmly asked who Seraphina was and about the nature of her association with Loki, and things basically went downhill from there. Loki immediately became defensive and the tension escalated until an argument broke out. Eventually Odin turned to Seraphina and asked her how much she knew about Loki, to which she responded by saying she knew enough to have made her decision concerning their relationship. Odin had laughed and expressed his doubts, and then he turned on Loki and showed her the one thing he never wanted her to see.

 

    As the glamour that concealed Loki’s true form was dispelled, the entire room looked on in shock; more because of the fact that the king would do such a thing to who he claimed was his son than the revelation itself. Loki looked at Seraphina in dismay, convinced that she would leave him now, while the woman in question seemed to have been rendered speechless.

 

    “Come now; how true ring your words?” Odin asked, “Have you no opinion?”

 

    “Oh, I have an opinion; I just don’t think it’s the one you want to hear,” Seraphina finally spoke, biting the inside of her cheek and clenching her hands into fists as she felt the change working through her, internally cursing her luck.

 

    After a moment a sweet scent began to permeate the air and Thor asked in confusion, “What is that smell?”

 

    Tony failed to suppress a snigger and Seraphina rounded on him, pointing a finger and warning, “Not. A. Word.”

 

    “What is going on?” Thor asked, looking around at his team for answers, though none seemed in a hurry to provide one.

 

    Steve and Clint in particular seemed very uncomfortable, shifting in their seats and pointedly avoiding looking at Seraphina, who seemed just as uncomfortable.

 

    “Yeah, I’m just going to... go... take care of something now...” She said awkwardly then all but fled the room towards the elevator.

 

    Tony turned to the still-blue Loki, who was torn between despair and confusion at his lover’s behaviour, and said, “You might wanna go give her a hand.”

 

    Natasha reached up without a word and smacked the billionaire upside the head. “Ouch! What? I’m serious! It’ll be easier for her if he does.”

 

    “Is she ill?” Thor asked in concern.

 

    “Not... exactly,” Clint replied hesitantly.

 

    “What, then?” Loki asked impatiently.

 

    “Yeah, I actually value my life. You wanna know; ask _her,”_ Clint replied.

 

    Loki hesitated for a moment then concern won over insecurity and he followed after her, making it into the elevator just as the doors were closing.

 

***

 

    Seraphina could have cried when Loki rushed into the elevator; though whether in relief or despair, she had no idea. As she forcefully pressed the button to her intended floor more times than was strictly necessary, she groaned quietly and clenched her skirt in her fists tightly.

 

    “This timing sucks!” She whined aloud to no-one in particular.

 

    “What is wrong with you?” Loki asked; deeply concerned, as he had never seen her act this way, “And why did Stark suggest I could help?”

 

    “Life is wrong with me. And because Tony’s an ass,” Seraphina replied through clenched teeth.

 

    “What does that even mean, ‘life’?” Loki asked, growing more confused.

 

    Seraphina closed her eyes and took a deep breath, regretting the action immediately with Loki being so close to her, and then looked at him and slowly explained, “It means that there comes a time in a demon’s life when the universe decides there should be more of us around; and it enforces that decision via certain biological cues.”

 

    Loki blinked as it finally clicked. “A... a _mating cycle?”_

 

    “See? _Now_ you’re getting it!” Seraphina said with mock-cheeriness then doubled over slightly and moaned, “Ohhhh, sweet Lilith.”

 

    “But how could _I_ help? How could you possibly want me now, like... _this?”_ Loki asked gesturing to himself.

 

    Seraphina rolled her eyes. “You know, for such a smart man, you really are an idiot. What do you think triggered it?”

 

    “This? _This_ form?” Loki asked incredulously.

 

    “I mean, technically; any positive output of my brain would’ve done it at this point, but yeah, that happened to be it,” Seraphina replied.

 

    “H-how? How are not repulsed? I’m a monster!” Loki cried out self-loathingly.

 

    “And what the fuck am I?!” Seraphina snapped in irritation, taking him aback, “I _dare_ you to find me a culture that doesn’t consider demons monsters and oh, my _goddess;_ could this elevator move any slower!!”

 

    As if on cue, the elevator doors opened and Seraphina ran out, stumbling her way to the nearest wall.

 

    Loki rushed over to her, stopping a bit away from her, and asked in concern, “Seraph, are you alright?”

 

    “Oh, I’m _peachy,”_ She replied sarcastically. When Loki made no further moves, she added with difficulty, “Loki, sweetheart; if you’re not going to help me then please get away from me, because your scent is driving me crazy.”

 

    At that Loki closed the rest of the distance between them, helping her to stay upright. “What do you need?”

 

    _“You,”_ She replied in a half-growl then grabbed a tight hold of the back of his head and pulled him down to a hungry kiss.

 

    Loki’s surprise caused him to hesitate in responding and Seraphina bit his bottom lip harshly, using his resulting cry of pain as an opportunity to plunge her tongue into his mouth. When he finally did respond, Loki found himself hard pressed to match her intensity; they had shared heated kisses before, but this was different. It was like she was trying to _devour_ him. He pushed her against the wall forcefully and pinned her wrists next to her head in an attempt to assert some control, and she responded by wrapping her leg around his waist and grinding their hips together, causing him to moan and loosen his grip.

 

    “Hey, come on, guys; you have bedrooms!” They heard Tony’s voice fill the hall through the intercoms. Seraphina freed one of her hands and flipped the camera off, and Tony said, “Fine, then. But so you know, I’m recording it and putting it online.”

 

    Loki pulled back, earning a hiss of complaint from her. “I’d rather not give him the satisfaction.”

 

    “I _really_ couldn’t care less where, just _fuck me_ already!” Seraphina half-growled.

 

    Loki blinked in surprise, a little unnerved by her urgency; he was beginning to get the impression that if he didn’t comply, she might very well make him. Cautiously he stepped back and, taking her hand, led her to her room, which was closer. The moment the door was shut behind them she was on him again, fusing their lips together roughly and pushing him back. When the back of his knees hit the bed she shoved him onto it and straddled his lap.

 

    She practically tore their clothes off, the heat within her building to unbearable levels and needing relief _now._ As more flesh was exposed Loki wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to himself, running his other hand up her spine, and leaned forward; tilting her back, he took one of her breasts into his mouth, alternating between sucking on her nipple, biting down on it and running his tongue over it to soothe the sting. Seraphina moaned appreciatively, grinding her hips down onto his still-clothed lap, the friction causing him to bite harder that he intended. She hissed and Loki leaned up to apologise but she cut him off with a needy kiss, pushing him back and reaching down between them to undo his pants.

 

    It would be a lie to say that Loki hadn’t been looking forward to the day he and Seraphina would have sex for the first time; he had found her to be attractive the moment he met her, and the closer they became, the more he wanted her. But he certainly never thought that first time would come like this; with him exposed as the frost giant that he was and her claiming him as though her life depended on it.

 

    Seraphina divested him of what remained of his clothes then crawled her way back up, tracing the lines on his abdomen and chest with her lips, tongue and teeth. When she reached his neck she bit down hard, breaking the skin, and Loki cried out in both pain and shock; pushing her back and staring at her as though she’d lost her mind.

 

    _“Mine.”_ She growled possessively through slightly bloody lips, the look in her eyes brokering no argument.

 

    Seraphina reached down, taking his cock in her hand, and positioned herself above it. She sunk down onto him in one quick move, throwing her head back and crying out breathily at the pleasure. Loki’s head fell back onto the mattress and he groaned, gripping her hips tightly, satisfaction making him forget all about the pain from her bite. She started to move, riding him hard with complete abandon, and any worry he might have had about hurting her as his grip on her hips tightened to bruising force was washed away by wave after wave of pleasure.

 

    The sounds of their passion filled the room and Loki’s hand wandered up to one of Seraphina’s bouncing breasts, kneading it and running his cold thumb over the nipple until it stood fully erect. He marvelled at the fact that his touch wasn’t hurting her at all. That had been one of his greater concerns about revealing himself to her; that if by some miracle she didn’t run from him, he would end up accidentally hurting her. But by the way she arched into his touch, it was clear to see that not only was she unharmed; she was greatly enjoying his attentions, which prompted him to thrust up into her with renewed fervour.

 

    As she moved on top of him, fuelled on by the burning need within her, Seraphina felt the coil in her belly tighten. Her hands found their way to his shoulders and she gripped them tightly, digging her nails into him and earning a sharp intake of breath, but she was too far gone to care whether she was hurting him or not; she was pure instinct right now, her mind was blank but for the imperative to quench her body’s thirst and fill her womb with his seed.

 

    Her end neared and she moved more frantically, desperate for satisfaction. Beneath her Loki redoubled his efforts, chasing his own pleasure. They reached their climax together, crying out in unison, their movements hardly deterred as they sought to prolong the feeling for as long as they could.

 

    Finally she collapsed on top of him and they lay there panting. Loki wrapped his arms around her and she hummed contentedly as his cold skin cooled her overheated one, causing him to smile slightly. After a while he rolled them over and carefully pulled out of her, and she whimpered slightly at the loss. Seraphina gazed up at him and smiled, running her hands up his back and pulling him down to her for a kiss. As their lips moved in sync, Loki felt her wrap her legs around his waist and grind against him.

 

    He broke the kiss and asked somewhat incredulously, “Really?”

 

    “Oh, my dear; you better believe I’m not even _close_ to done with you yet,” Seraphina replied lustfully with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2

    Meanwhile back at the lounge, Odin had left and Thor had not let up his questioning about Seraphina’s odd behaviour, out of concern for both her and his brother. Clint refused to say a word about it and Steve had actually left the room, though none but Natasha knew exactly why. Finally Tony gave in; more out of annoyance than anything.

 

    “Look; you know Sephy’s a demon, right?” He began.

 

    “Of course; she has never concealed the fact,” Thor replied.

 

    “Well; let’s just say that her biology works different from all of ours,” Tony said meaningfully.

 

    Thor looked a bit confused, not quite seeing what Tony was getting at, and Natasha sighed in exasperation and bluntly said, “They have mating cycles. She’s in heat.”

 

    “Way to sugarcoat it, Nat,” Clint mumbled.

 

    “I... see,” Thor said awkwardly then brightened up, “But that is good, though; if she could still feel that way for him, that means she accepts his heritage.”

 

    Thor still couldn’t believe his father would actually force that kind of revelation; he had been trying to get his brother to do it himself for months, but it never would’ve occurred to him to take matters into his own hands like that. He had a feeling that it was very unlikely that Seraphina would reject him, and was glad to be proven right. He wanted to believe that his father had not intended harm, but he was still angry over his actions.

 

    “I’d say she more than ‘accepts’ it,” Tony said, breaking the Thunderer out of his thoughts, and Clint nodded in agreement.

 

    “You’re all idiots to have worried in the first place,” Natasha said matter-of-factly.

 

    “Who said I was worried? I don’t even _like_ Loki,” Clint said. Natasha rolled her eyes and walked out of the room. Clint looked back at the rest of them and insisted, “I _don’t._ ”

 

    “I didn’t say anything,” Tony replied, sipping on his drink nonchalantly.

 

***

 

    Loki lost count of how many times he’d come, all he knew from a quick glance out the window was that the afternoon had long since gone. Not that it really mattered to him; all he cared about was the woman writhing beneath him as he pounded into her. Seraphina cried out loudly as she came yet again, raking her nails down his back, taking him over the edge with her as her muscles clenched him tightly.

 

    He collapsed on her, panting and exhausted, then pulled out of her and rolled over onto his back, hissing slightly at the sting from the scratches on his back. He truly hoped that it was her heat making her that wild; he didn’t mind some roughness, liked it even, but he didn’t know how long he’d survive if she was always like that. He cried out in pain and jumped back when he felt her fingers touch the bite mark she’d left on his neck when they started.

 

    “Sorry about that,” Seraphina said apologetically, “But, you know, it could have been worse; at least I’m not a succubus!”

 

    “Lucky me,” Loki replied sarcastically, gingerly feeling the wound. No; the mark. It was more than clear to him that she had claimed him as hers, whatever the implications of that were. He then thought back to the downright feral look in her eyes before they’d come to her bedroom and asked slowly, “Seraph, what would have happened if I hadn’t come willingly?”

 

    “If I could get away from you in time before I lost it, I would’ve gone to find someone who _was_ willing,” She replied as she peppered his chest with kisses.

 

    Loki grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away enough to look her in the eyes then asked seriously, “You would cheat on me?”

 

    “Yes,” She admitted simply.

 

    Loki’s grip tightened as a flash of anger surged through him and he asked as evenly as he could manage, “Have you?”

 

    “No,” Seraphina replied. Loki’s red eyes looked at her conflicted, torn between his trust in her and his own suspicious nature. She sat up, locked their gazes and spoke firmly, “Loki, you have no idea what it feels like; this... _need._ I tried to ignore it once, and it was the worst thing I’ve ever gone through. I love you, but I am not putting myself through that torture again; for you, or anyone else.”

 

    Loki looked away, knowing he would never ask that of her whatever the consequences; he looked back at her as a thought occurred to him. “Wait... ‘Get away from me in time’? And if you hadn’t, would you have taken me by force?”

 

    “Yes,” She confirmed. He gulped slightly and eyed her warily. He knew her strength could match his own; she very well could follow through with it. Seraphina rolled her eyes. “I’m a _demon,_ Loki; we’re not exactly known for being nice. Once the compulsion to breed takes over...” She looked away and bit her bottom lip. “We become something else.”

 

    “ _Have_ you ever...?” Loki asked hesitantly.

 

    “No,” Seraphina cut in, the relief evident in her voice, “Thankfully; I’ve never been that desperate.”

 

    “Are you always this...” He trailed off, gesturing to the many scratches visible on his chest.

 

    “Yeahh... Sorry,” She said sheepishly, “I wasn’t expecting it to hit me so suddenly. I’m usually not that careless; a little rough sometimes, yes, but not violent.”

 

    Loki hummed in understanding. “How long does the cycle last?”

 

    “About a week; sometimes less,” She replied, curling up next to him and snuggling into his coolness.

 

    “How often?” He asked; wanting to know as much as he could so to be better prepared in the future.

 

    “Twice a year. Every spring and every autumn,” She replied, “Until I get pregnant, anyway.”

 

    “Do you have children?” Loki asked, running his fingers up and down her spine, earning a few pleased shivers.

 

    Seraphina breathed out a laugh. “No; been pretty good at avoiding that so far.”

 

    “You don’t want any, then?” He asked. She shrugged. “Not with just anyone?”

 

    “I play for keeps. If I’m going to have children with someone; it’s going to be the person I intend to spend the rest of my life with,” She murmured, nuzzling his neck being mindful of the bite mark.

 

    _For keeps, then._ Loki thought. He was okay with that.

 

***

 

    The next morning as Tony and Thor walked into the kitchen, Loki was quietly eating breakfast at the table while Seraphina was sitting _on_ the table sipping on some hot chocolate, their eyes were immediately drawn to the younger prince’s neck and what was visible of his chest and shoulders under his shirt.

 

    “Geez, Sephy; were you having sex, or trying to kill him?” Tony asked, eyeing the marks with what was either concern or admiration.

 

    “Shut it, Tony,” Seraphina retorted.

 

    Loki looked up from his plate to find Thor looking at him worriedly and he firmly said, _“No.”_

 

Thor raised an eyebrow but walked over to the fridge without a word, shaking his head in disbelief. A while later Clint, Steve and Natasha walked in in various states of wakefulness.

 

    Clint glanced at Loki then did a double take and asked, “What the hell happened to _you?”_

 

    Loki simply pointed his fork at Seraphina, who grinned widely, and Clint promptly decided he didn’t want to know.

 

***

 

    That afternoon, Seraphina walked into the training room, grabbed Loki tightly by the wrist as he was sparring with Natasha, and dragged him out of the room without a word. Natasha cracked a small smile and continued training on her own, knowing she wouldn’t be seeing Loki for a while.

 

    When the elevator doors closed behind them Seraphina pushed Loki against the wall and kissed him passionately, though not as forcefully as she had the previous day. As their kisses became more heated, Loki pushed her back slightly then reached towards the buttons and pressed the emergency stop; with a wicked grin he turned them over, pinning her against the wall and lifted her up by the hips. Seraphina wrapped her legs around his waist and Loki slid a hand under her skirt reaching for her underwear, only to discover she wasn’t wearing any. He chuckled at her sly smile and resumed kissing her, their tongues battling for dominance and neither quite winning.

 

    Loki reached between them and undid his pants, wasting no time in lining up his cock with her entrance and plunging into her swiftly, pulling a groan from both their lips. As he pushed in and out of her in short, sharp thrusts, she clutched his shoulders, eyes screwed shut and loud moans tumbling freely between sharp gasps. Loki buried his face in her hair, panting and grunting in her ear.

 

    As the coil within her snapped Seraphina threw her head back, hitting the wall with a rather loud thud, and Loki had a few seconds to worry before his own climax washed over him and all thought fled him. They stood there panting for a while then Loki reached a hand to the back of her head and rubbed the spot she’d hit, pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek, and she hummed gratefully.

 

    When they reached Seraphina’s room Loki unceremoniously dumped her on the bed, earning a half-hearted complaint, and made short work of his clothes before joining her. After he pulled off her top, she ran her hands up his chest, over the ridges of his skin and the scratches she’d made, and kissed him hungrily. He removed her bra and began toying with her breasts; he had quickly grown fond of how they responded to his cold touch.

 

    After a while he pulled away from her to remove her skirt, but when she moved up to him to kiss him again he pushed her back. She looked at him questioningly and he merely turned her around and pushed her forward until she was on her hands and knees before him, then he grabbed her hips and lined himself up with her.

 

    “You had your way yesterday; now I will have mine,” He finally explained then pushed into her harshly, earning a loud cry.

 

    Seraphina wasn’t really used to not being in control during sex, but as Loki had his way with her she found she didn’t really mind letting him take over, as evidenced by how loud she was being in vocalising her pleasure. His nails dug into her as he took her roughly and his fingers would most definitely leave more bruises to accompany those of the previous day, but neither of them paid it any mind, too lost in the moment. He spilled into her with a loud groan and a moment later her own orgasm took her and she practically sobbed in pleasure.

 

    As they lay there in each other’s arms Loki kissed her temple gently and worriedly asked, “That wasn’t too much, was it?”

 

    “It was perfect,” Seraphina sighed happily, nuzzling his collarbone, “ _You’re_ perfect.”

 

    Loki looked at her oddly then shook his head with a slight chuckle and hugged her closer. After dozing for a while Loki got up to take a shower. Or at least, that _was_ the plan; until Seraphina practically pounced on him... After taking her against the shower wall three times, he simply gave up and resigned to spend the rest of the day in bed with her, conjuring food from the kitchen when they needed it.

 

***

 

    By the end of the week Loki practically lived in Seraphina’s room; he hardly left it and half of the belongings he’d accumulated over the past year and a half of living in the tower were there. Not that he had any complaints, as her room was bigger than the one he’d been given and it had _her_ in it.

 

    There was a change in him. He was... _happier_ now. And something else; something he hadn’t even noticed until Thor pointed it out whilst they were chatting one night.

 

    “You look well, brother; at peace,” Thor commented from beside him on one of the couches.

 

    Loki looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment then back at his brother. “I suppose I am.”

 

    “With everything?” Thor asked meaningfully.

 

    Loki’s expression turned quizzical and Thor chuckled and reached over, taking his brother’s hand and lifting it up to his line of vision. Loki blinked then frowned slightly as he took in the contrast between his blue skin and Thor’s slightly tan complexion.

 

    “You stopped noticing, didn’t you?” Tony asked knowingly from the other couch.

 

    “I... I did,” Loki replied, slightly surprised.

 

    He hadn’t even realised when, but it had ceased to matter; Seraphina had accepted him and everybody in the tower treated him the same. He had just stopped seeing the difference altogether.

 

    For the first time since he had learned he was a frost giant; it honestly didn’t matter.

 

    As Thor let go of his hand Seraphina walked into the room and hopped onto the couch, curling up on Loki’s lap and flinging her arms around his shoulders lazily. Loki smiled then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.


	3. Chapter 3

    As winter came around, the mood in the tower was unmistakably light. There hadn’t been many attacks that required the Avengers, so they had plenty of free time. Bruce had returned from wherever his research had taken him in high spirits, eagerly sharing the success of his work with Tony (who was really the only one who could understand it) and trying to find ways to improve it. Clint left to spend time with his family as soon as he received the okay. Steve pretty much stuck to his usual routine, but he looked far more relaxed than he had been in a while. Thor was called back to Asgard for a bit and was due back that day. And Seraphina and Natasha had successfully dragged Loki to the outside world; Loki used an illusion to hide his jötunn form and Seraphina used a simple glamour of her own for her eyes so as to not freak out the civilians, but at least they were out.

 

    They were walking by a park, a few bags in their hands from the bit of holiday shopping they had done, when Seraphina turned to ask Loki something and noticed that he was no longer following them. They looked around for a while until Natasha lightly slapped Seraphina’s arm with the back of her hand to get her attention then pointed over to the park. Seraphina looked and her heart warmed at the sight that met her; Loki was kneeling in front of a little boy of about six or seven, who appeared to have been crying, and was holding his gloved little hand and speaking to him.

 

    After a little while a frantic woman ran up to them and the boy threw himself into her arms. The woman hugged her son tightly, kissing his face over and over, then she turned to Loki and thanked him profusely. Loki accepted her gratitude graciously and then the woman hugged him, much to his obvious surprise. With a parting hug from the boy, they left and Loki turned back to the street to find Natasha smirking and Seraphina grinning widely a little ways away from him.

 

    “Not a word,” He warned half-heartedly.

 

    Both women made a zipping motion across their lips at the same time and they continued on their way, stopping by at a few more stores before turning back to the tower.

 

***

 

    Just as they were entering the tower a beam of light touched down on the helipad on the roof, signalling Thor’s return. As the elevator door closed, Loki and Seraphina dispelled their respective illusions, and they chatted aimlessly on the way up. When they walked into the lounge after leaving their purchases in their rooms, Loki froze as he saw that Odin had arrived with Thor. Then he noticed his mother beside him and relaxed a fraction, though he still eyed the king warily.

 

    The moment Frigga saw him she smiled widely and rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug that was gladly returned. “Oh, my son; how I have missed you,” She breathed.

 

    “It’s good to see you again, mother,” Loki said warmly as they parted.

 

    Frigga turned to Seraphina, who was looking at them with a smile. “And you must be Seraphina; Thor spoke often of you.”

 

    “If it’s good, it’s all lies,” Seraphina joked, earning a laugh from the queen.

 

    Frigga stepped forward, took Seraphina’s hands in hers and said, “I do not know you, but if half of what Thor has told me is true; then I owe you much gratitude.”

 

    “Ah, no, you don’t; I’m just a weird demon with a recent penchant for saving people,” Seraphina dismissed with a smile.

 

    Frigga laughed lightly and said, “All the same.”

 

    “Not that I’m not happy to see you, mother, but why _are_ you here?” Loki asked.

 

    “I am here to spend time with my sons,” Frigga replied simply.

 

    “And...?” Loki let the question linger as he turned his eyes to Odin.

 

    “I wish to speak with you,” Odin replied, adding pointedly, _“Alone.”_

 

    Loki looked as though he might refuse for a moment, but then Natasha got his attention and nudged her head towards the door with a _look_ and he coolly said, “Fine; I can spare ten minutes.”

 

    With that he turned and led the way out of the lounge with the Allfather in tow.

 

***

 

    ‘Ten minutes’ turned into closer to four hours, and by the time Loki and Odin returned to the lounge Frigga and the Avengers minus Clint were chatting amiably; Thor looking somewhat embarrassed as his mother shared stories of his and Loki’s childhood, to the amusement of the others. Both the king and the younger prince seemed thoughtful and the tension between them was significantly reduced as Odin said his goodbyes and left.

 

    “Sooo...” Tony began with his usual subtlety.

 

    “It’s a step,” Loki replied. He lifted his left hand and stared at it for a moment. “He returned my aesir glamour; it’s mine to use whenever I want it.”

 

    “But you don’t?” Bruce asked.

 

    Loki shrugged and replied, “I don’t need it.”

 

***

 

    The winter holidays at the tower were a bit of a mish-mash of tradition between Christmas and the Yuletide that the asgardians and Seraphina celebrated, and Tony was having entirely too much fun with the mistletoe; having snagged a kiss out of everyone but Natasha, as well as created quite a few awkward encounters, like when Steve happened to find himself under a sprig with Thor, who took the whole thing a bit too seriously. For their part the asgardians and Seraphina introduced the rest of the team to wassail - which Steve took a particular liking to - as well as acquiring, decorating and burning a Yule log.

 

    Once the morning of the 25th came they all sat around the large tree Steve had had dedicatedly decorated to exchange presents, in which they learned that Tony and Loki had banded together to get them all gag gifts of various degrees of embarrassing, though they took care not to make Bruce’s ‘gift’ too upsetting; they had come to share a mutual respect but Loki was still quite wary of the Hulk. A few days later Frigga returned to Asgard, though not before being made to promise by pretty much the whole team that she would visit again sometime.

 

    On New Year’s Eve the alarm was sounded; some would-be ‘supervillain’ was threatening to level Chicago unless his demands were met. As the non-flying members of the team boarded the quinjet they almost didn’t recognise Loki, who had adopted his aesir form once again. He himself had to admit it felt a bit odd after so long, but it was for the best as the population of Earth was unaware of his true origins.

 

    Clint grumbled for most of the flight, having hoped the enemy would continue their apparent vacation until after New Year’s, and the rest of them were inclined to agree. Still, they had a job to do and they would do it gladly.

 

    When they arrived the city was in a state of relative chaos; the villain - whose name they couldn’t for the life of them remember - had creatures apparently made of stone running amok, wrecking cars, buildings and the like, though casualties seemed to be at a minimum as far as they could tell. The battle plan was decided; with Tony, Thor and the Hulk taking on the bulk of the enemy, while Natasha, Clint and Seraphina picked off precision targets and took care of any stragglers the others missed. Steve and Loki would take care of the one in charge; Steve would give him one chance to stand down and if - as was likely - he refused then he would keep him distracted while Loki did what he did best and struck from the shadows.

 

    “Hey, Hawkeye!” Seraphina called through the commlink. Clint gave a sort of grunt in response and she asked eagerly, “What happens when you set a rock on fire?”

 

    Clint rolled his eyes and spared a look in her direction. Seraphina flexed her fingers then waved her hands out in a sweeping motion, igniting the air around them, and gathered the fire between them, launching it at the nearest golem. The fireball struck it and it exploded, showering the surrounding area with pieces of rock and drops of magma.

 

    “Seraph, we’re supposed to be keeping damage to a minimum; remember?” Clint reminded, though she could hear the smile on his voice.

 

    “Ugh, fine! Be boring, then,” Seraphina replied.

 

    “Seraph; fire isn’t the answer to everything,” Steve said as he fought the golem’s master.

 

    _“Lies!”_ Seraphina cried dramatically.

 

    She flexed her fingers like a puppeteer and manipulated the shadows around her targets. The tendrils slipped between the golems’ joints and any other crevices, and with a flick of her hands, pulled them apart completely.

 

***

 

    Loki stood concealed under a veil of magick behind the enemy, waiting for his opening. He had to be careful about how he took the mortal down, lest he lose control over the golems and leave them to destroy and kill indiscriminately. Finally the moment came as Steve knocked the villain back, dazing him and making him lose the connection to the creatures for a moment, causing them to pause in their movements. A moment was all Loki needed; he rushed forward and wrapped an arm around the enemy’s neck, pressing the other one to his forehead and casting a binding spell to contain his power. With the link cut, the golems fell apart where they stood.

 

    With the enemy apprehended (they _still_ couldn’t remember his name), the Avengers regrouped, and once he was bound and ready for SHIELD to pick him up they dispersed to see if any civilians needed assistance. Wreckages were sifted through and people rescued from within, and before long anyone that could be saved was. Seraphina and Loki in particular dove into the task with singular dedication, and Tony joked that they were competing to see who could rescue the most civilians. He even kept score.

 

    By the time they climbed back into the quinjet, Loki had been thanked more in those few hours than he had in his entire life on Asgard. He was still deciding how he felt about that. Seraphina sat down next to him and took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers. He looked at her and smiled tiredly, receiving one in kind.

 

    “You did good today,” Steve told Loki as he sat across from him, “That would’ve gone a lot worse without you.”

 

    Loki blinked, surprised, and replied, “I... Thank you.”

 

    He had formed a friendship with the team in the past months, but that was the first time he’d received direct praise for his efforts; so far they had just sort of... acknowledged his contributions without words, which had been fine with him, as it was closer to what he was used to.

 

    “Just don’t let it go to your head,” Clint added jokingly from the cockpit, “We have Tony for that.”

 

    Loki laughed and replied, “Well, I wouldn’t want to take his place; he might just implode.”

 

    “You know, I’ll remember that. I’ll remember all of it. And I know where you all live,” Tony’s voice came through the commlink, causing them all to laugh.

 

***

 

    With no further interruptions the team relaxed and Tony organised a last-minute New Year’s Eve party at the tower. As people ate and drank and danced, Loki found himself out on one of the balconies with a drink in his hand, leaning on the railing and looking out at the snow-covered city below, thinking. He never expected the turns his life had taken lately. He had been sincere in wanting to atone for his mistakes on Midgard, but he didn’t think it would actually work out; he figured he would never be forgiven, let alone accepted and trusted, and he would simply make up for the damage he’d caused then move on with his life the same as always.

 

    After a while, Loki smiled and said, “There’s not many people who can sneak up on me.”

 

    “But you figured I’d come,” Natasha replied with a smirk, remembering the first time they’d said those words to one another.

 

    “Shouldn’t you be celebrating?” Loki asked, turning around to face her.

 

    Natasha walked up to his side and asked back, “Shouldn’t _you?”_

 

    “I needed some air,” Loki replied, looking back to the city.

 

    After a brief silence, Natasha said, “You’ve done well for yourself.”

 

    “I have,” Loki acknowledged. Inside the countdown started, with everyone cheerfully calling out the numbers in various states of inebriation. Loki sipped on his drink and said, “I owe it to you; all of you.”

 

    “The Avengers are more than just a taskforce to keep the world safe; we keep each other safe,” Natasha replied, “It’s a second chance, a chance to make up for the past. Just don’t ever forget it.”

 

    “I won’t,” Loki assured, turning to look at her. Inside people cheered as they welcomed the new year, and he added, “Happy New Year, Miss Romanov.”

 

    Natasha smiled slightly then leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, wiping the lipstick away after. As she stood back down Seraphina walked out onto the balcony then ran over and threw her arms around them both, pulling them into a tight hug. When they parted, she kissed Natasha’s cheek then wrapped her other arm around Loki and pulled him down for a lingering kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this, but I think I might write more for this AU at some point in the future; I rather like it.

    Seraphina didn’t anger easily. She was quick to annoy and irritate, sure, but true, burning rage-levels of anger were hard to come by. But that was exactly what she was feeling when she learned that Loki had been captured by an old enemy.

 

***

 

    It was late spring; her heat had come and gone a month prior and by now Loki was _definitely_ living with her. He and Thor had been called back to Asgard to deal with a problem that had arisen, making it the first time the Trickster had been back in the realm since he’d joined the Avengers. They were supposed to be gone for a week, but after four days Seraphina began to feel like something was wrong, and that very day a message had been sent confirming it.

 

    The look in Seraphina’s fiery eyes as the messenger sent (a warrior by the name of Fandral that was apparently a friend of Thor’s) informed them of the problem downright unsettled all present and when she declared she was going to Svartalfheim to rescue her boyfriend nobody thought it wise to argue.

 

    They first went to Asgard so as to properly explain the situation and she met with Odin and Thor, who informed her that the dark elves - an enemy they thought long dead - had returned. Their leader, Malekith, was searching for a weapon called the aether, and Thor and Loki had led a group of warriors to his realm to stop him before he could find it, but they were outnumbered and Loki had stayed behind as a distraction so that the rest of them could escape.

 

    “And you just... _left_ him?” Seraphina asked with deceptive calmness, her eyes suggesting anything but.

 

    “I did not wish to, but I had the rest of my men to think of. I had to trust in Loki’s abilities,” Thor replied, unable to meet her gaze, and then added adamantly, “I am going back.”

 

    “I wouldn’t recommend it,” Seraphina warned lowly.

 

    “I will not abandon him!” Thor said, shocked that she would even suggest it.

 

    “Neither will I,” Seraphina replied, “I’m going to go get him; and when I do, you don’t want to be in my way.”

 

    “Then I will do my best not to be, but I am coming with you,” Thor declared, then turned and walked out of the room.

 

    Odin watched him go for a moment then turned to Seraphina. “Thor speaks highly of your ability. Go; find my son. Get him back.”

 

    Seraphina nodded once then turned and followed after Thor.

 

***

 

    Loki was kneeling bound to a large rock, badly wounded but at least still living. For now. At least he could take solace in the fact that his plan had worked and no-one else had been captured. He knew that Thor would come back for him; he just hoped his brother wouldn’t be too late. Upon hearing a slight commotion, Loki lifted his head with difficulty and looked for the source of the unrest, expecting to see Thor with a larger portion of Asgard’s army; instead his eyes widened as he took in the unmistakable figure of Seraphina. He could see Thor walking behind her, but no-one else.

 

***

 

    Seraphina scanned the figures before her, searching, until Thor pointed out the enemy leader, who was walking to meet them with a handful of his soldiers.

 

    “You fled the battlefield because of our greater numbers; yet you return accompanied by a single woman?” Malekith asked mockingly.

 

    “Malekith, I presume?” Seraphina spoke with icy calm.

 

    “Correct,” Malekith confirmed.

 

    “I’m going to give you one chance,” Seraphina said, “Let. Him. Go.”

 

    Malekith laughed and spat, “And why should I listen to _you_ , woman?”

 

    “Oh, you shouldn’t. More fun that way,” Seraphina replied, bearing her teeth slightly.

 

    “What threat could you possibly pose to me; insignificant girl?” Malekith asked then said viciously, “I should kill you both while he watches, knowing until his final moments that he was utterly powerless to save you.”

 

    Hearing that, Loki began to struggle against his bonds with what strength he still possessed, though it wasn’t enough. Seraphina narrowed her eyes then held her head up high and began walking towards Malekith steadily.

 

    “I am Seraphina; daughter of the darkest pit and most merciless hellfire,” She declared evenly. “I don’t take kindly to threats.” Her hands twitched at her sides, the air around them rippling with heat. “I don’t tolerate insults.” The ground below them seemed to vibrate. “And I _will_ take back what is _MINE!!”_

 

    With that flames erupted from the ground, hotter than seemed possible, enveloping the dark elves nearest them. At the farthest edges of the flame, shadows came alive, impaling some of the enemy and wrapping around others and crushing them to death. All the while Seraphina did not stop walking nor did she take her now glowing eyes off of Malekith, who she seemed to have left unharmed, though tightly bound with tendrils of darkness sprouting from the ground.

 

    She was less than a foot away from him when she heard both Loki and Thor call her name, and then a large creature came up beside her, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her up off the ground easily. It snarled at her and she hissed right back, grasping the arm it held her with and digging her nails in. After a moment the creature stopped moving then began to twitch violently. Blood began to seep from the crevices of its armour, and before long it had let Seraphina go and fell back; upon impact its armour fell apart, revealing that she had used the shadows underneath them to rip the creature to pieces.

 

    Seraphina turned back to Malekith and closed the rest of the distance between them; she reached a hand up and scratched her nails harshly across his face diagonally, from his forehead to his jaw, and he snarled in pain, unable to move.

 

    “Know that this is your fault,” Seraphina spat then turned and walked past him, leaving him for Thor to deal with. She rushed to Loki, passing the dead and dying without so much as a glance, and knelt before him. “How bad?”

 

    “I’ll live,” Loki replied.

 

    “You damn well better or I’ll kill you,” Seraphina half-growled, moving to undo his bindings.

 

    “I’m not even going to try and make sense of that,” Loki muttered bemusedly. “You do realise you’ve just ended a millenniums-old war in ten minutes, don’t you?”

 

    “Frankly, I couldn’t give less of a fuck about that; I came here for one reason only,” Seraphina replied as she finished untying him.

 

    Loki groaned lightly, falling forward and straight into Seraphina’s arms. “Yes; I heard. Clearly, you don’t like to share your property.”

 

    Seraphina took his face in her hands and kissed him then murmured, “Damn right, I don’t.”

 

***

 

    Malekith was dealt with, though Seraphina didn’t know how exactly as she hadn’t left Loki’s side. It was quickly learned that she was very protective of the younger prince and Frigga had to intervene when she bit one of the healers’ apprentices, who had accidentally reopened one of Loki’s wounds as they were changing his bandages. Since that incident the healers were extra careful handling the Trickster and gave his lover a very wide berth.

 

    Thor returned to Midgard to assure his teammates that Loki was alive and healing, and that Seraphina would be staying in Asgard with him until he recovered, which surprised no-one. Two days later, when Loki was conscious again, he asked why the healers were avoiding Seraphina and Frigga filled him in on what had happened, much to the amusement of Odin, who hadn’t heard of it either.

 

    Loki blinked then looked at Seraphina, who was glancing around innocently. “You... bit... _bit_... one of them...”

 

    Seraphina looked back at him then sat down on the bed and reached out to him, tracing a finger over the bite mark on his neck she had made all those months ago. The wound itself had long since healed, but the mark remained, and would remain for the rest of his life.

 

    “Demons are very protective of their mates,” She said after a while then bit her bottom lip and added, “Particularly when one of them is pregnant.”

 

    For a moment Loki stared at her in stunned silence then he stammered, “Y-you’re... I’m... You’re with child?”

 

    “I am,” Seraphina confirmed, “I _was_ going to tell you when you got back to the tower, but then you had to go and get yourself captured, making me have to come and save your ass.”

 

    Loki scoffed, recovering from his shock, and replied sarcastically, “Well, I do apologise for the inconvenience.”

 

    “As well you should; I wasn’t even planning to get out bed that day,” She said, poking his forehead lightly.

 

    Odin cleared his throat, reminding them there were other people in the room, and addressed Seraphina, “There is the matter of the dark elves to discuss.”

 

    “What about them?” Seraphina asked.

 

    “The capture and execution of Malekith has left his forces leaderless, but we would be fools to assume they will not seek revenge,” Odin replied, “By Thor’s report; you annihilated a large number of them in mere minutes seemingly effortlessly.”

 

    “And you want me to take care of the rest,” Seraphina more stated than asked.

 

    “You would be a great asset to Asgard’s forces,” Odin said.

 

    “No,” Seraphina replied.

 

    “No?” Odin seemed a little taken aback by how quickly she answered.

 

    “When I went over there, I was furious, and I was careless,” Seraphina said seriously, “I gave in to a side of me that I haven’t even _looked_ at for over five years; I am not doing that again.”

 

    “You would be saving lives,” Odin tried to appeal to her duties as an Avenger.

 

    Seraphina breathed a laugh. “You would ask me to risk my child for people who would sooner call me a monster than an ally?” She sat back, crossing her arms at her chest. “I can fight with you. I’m an Avenger; that’s what I do. But that’s it. I’m not your weapon.”

 

    “No, you are not,” Odin conceded then huffed a laugh and said, “From what I can tell, you are closer to my daughter-in-law.”

 

***

 

    It took a month, but at last all the remaining dark elves were taken care of. In that time Loki had fully recovered and it was only the fear of risking Seraphina’s protective wrath that kept him from joining the final battles. Instead he chose to spend that time with his mother; Frigga was the one person he knew he would sorely miss in his time away from the palace, and he was glad for the chance to catch up since he’d last seen her, recent though it was. Halfway through the feast celebrating the victory Loki’s patience ran out and he all but dragged Seraphina to his chambers to both show her how much he’d missed her and celebrate their impending parenthood.

 

    They weren’t seen again until late the next day.

 

***

 

    When they returned to the tower, the news of Seraphina’s pregnancy was received with Tony declaring that Clint now owed him a hundred bucks, to which the archer grumbled and gave him a suggestion as to where he could put it. The rest of the team were a little more mature about it, congratulating both parents-to-be and promising they would spoil the kid (or kids, Bruce predicted) rotten.

 

    Pregnancy had a curious effect on Seraphina; the hormones made her very emotional and some days nobody but Loki could approach her safely, as she lashed out at anyone else. She became reluctant to leave her room and spent a lot of the time cleaning and organising (and reorganising) everything to her liking. Bruce concluded that she was nesting and suggested it was best to leave her to it, for everyone’s safety. She also developed one hell of a sexual appetite, which Loki was more than happy to sate; though as the months passed and her belly grew, he began to grow nervous about harming the babies (Bruce’s prediction had been confirmed), which earned him a smack upside the head from Natasha and several studies that disproved that worry.

 

    The day Seraphina went into labour was... interesting. The team had been called away to deal with a crisis on the other side of the planet that morning and she’d randomly decided to take a walk in Central Park, never mind the fact that it was near freezing outdoors and snowing quite a bit seeing as it was the dead of winter. She was meandering among the trees when she felt a contraction hit, which almost caused her to fall over from the pain, and she remembered that her mother had once told her that a demon’s labour was quick yet intense. Realising that there was no way she’d make it back to the tower before giving birth, she forced the pain from her mind and looked for the most secluded spot she could find.

 

    Two hours later Seraphina was sitting cross-legged on the frozen ground with a pair of wailing new-born girls on her lap, as blue as their father and with markings much like his own but with her eyes and silver hair, wiping her bloody mouth with one hand (who knew a placenta could be so tasty?) and sending Loki a quick text with the other that read, ‘ ** _Not sure when you’re going to see this, but I just gave birth in Central Park. Hope you didn’t want a son._** ’

 

    Soon after her phone rang and as soon as she answered the call she heard Loki’s voice on the other end exclaim, “You _what?!_ What in _Hel_ are you doing in Central Park?!”

 

    “I wanted some air,” Seraphina explained casually then said, “Listen!” She lowered the phone to her daughters so that Loki could hear them then brought it back to her ear. “Wait ’til you see them; they’re so beautiful.”

 

    Loki was quiet for a while, feeling a little overwhelmed, and then said, “We should be back by tomorrow; just...” He took a deep breath. “Just get back to the tower, for Norns’ sake.”

 

***

 

    Loki sat on his and Seraphina’s bed, pure adoration in his eyes as he gazed between his daughters; he could find no words that could describe how perfect they were to him, and he was a master of words. He looked down at Bodil in his arms as she gurgled slightly, her little hands reaching for his hair, and then at Anja in her mother’s arms, and smiled for the thousandth time that day. He then looked up at Seraphina, who met his gaze before moving forward and kissing him deeply, mindful of the babies.

 

    When they parted, she rested her forehead against his and whispered, “Mine.”


End file.
